How about Best Buy and their "8 Free Issues of Sports Illustrated or Entertainment Weekly" scam. The cashier 99% of the time forgets to say "8 RISK Free Issues" as in you can cancel anytime, but if you don't you get charged for the subscription (including the 8 RISK free ones).

I'm a fan of Lowes, seems less pushy and it seems less about the contractors and more about home owners. I've found that the prices are just slightly higher... but I've never been asked to take advantage of any promotions..

At my part time job, the young attractive "sales associates" have to carry a clipboard with a credit application around. It is funny to hear them try to explain how credit cards work when they aren't even old enough to apply for one.

You can't beat car dealers in this regard. Fortunately, cars last a long time, so it will be several years before I have to subject myself to that sort of abuse again. FWIW, I still remember my previous experience with said dealer, so when it came time to trade in the other car, I switched brands (Toyota, FTW) so I wouldn't have to deal with them again.

I can't remember, but I did have one such experience at a Home Depot years ago. Seems they let a ADT sales rep loose in the store to annoy customers. I told him the day I need ADT is the day I move to another neighborhood, then went to Lowes for whatever it was I needed. As I recall, that didn't last very long either - a single weekend, I think.

Stores will continue to do this as long as it brings in more money than they lose. To the higher-ups, it's simple math. They don't get the quality of the shopping experience and the other intangibles that come from enjoying your visit (eg, stay longer, spend more money, tell people about your good experience).

That's because THEY don't have to shop at their own stores and have to deal with this crap.

I think a lot of the problem would go away if membership cards / credit cards / promotions weren't tied into employees' performance reviews and/or used to push someone out of the schedule.

Unfortunately, in the meantime we get to deal with unethical employees double-scanning your credit card to sign you up for memberships and the like.

I wouldn't say they've entirely lost my business, but Banana Republic would definitely get more of my money if they didn't push the credit card, and I've told them that.

At the HD in Reading, MA I'm accosted almost every time I go in the front door by a guy in an HD smock trying to pimp free estimates for doors, windows, siding, furnaces, or whatever they felt like pushing at the time. I live in a condo, so things like siding, windows, etc. are basically meaningless to me. I also work at a theater in the area so I go there on a fairly regular basis to buy all sorts of odds & ends needed to build sets, rewire lights, etc. so I get accosted by these mooks on a regular basis. At first I just started ignoring the guy and after his little spiel to try to get my attention he'd always say "Thank you" in a pretty loud voice. So now I always go into the building through the contractors entrance rather than the main entrance so I can avoid this or any other annoyances that the HD folks might set up there. There's also a Lowes a few exits down the highway from the HD and I've started going there more in part because of this, despite the fact that the parking situation at the Lowes is horrendous compared to the HD...

Best Buy
Radio Shack
Linens & Things
Sears

I hate having to run these stupid marketing gauntlets in order to buy something.

If people in a store want to sell me something how about helping sell me what I came in there for. I find Home Depots walking commercials really obnoxious considering you can't get someone to help you locate large box products or find the location of what your after. They have lost the sale of a generator and a scroll saw because they couldn't be bothered helping me get a box down out of extra stock.

A simple 'No Thank-you' isn't too much effort really, is it?

I hate to be playing the role of the usual cynical Consumerist, but I hardly think these particular actions on the part of HD call for a boycott of their stores, the strength of your arguement deoen't justify this for me. I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons to avoid the place (heck, I'm POSITIVE there are), I just don't think this can be taken into account.

Slow news day?

In my case, it's Las Vegas hotels. The Rio used to be my favorite--until Harrah's (now Bally's) bought them up and placed a timeshare sales boot in the lobby--I got sick of being pounced on every time I walked into or out of the hotel, so I never stayed there again. Planet Hollywood joined Rio at the bottom of my list when, after an 18 hour flight (that should have been 6), I was pounced on by a timeshare dealer as I was trying to get to the check-in desk...

I would not mind this if they tied it to something. Like get 10% off your purchase today if you agree to a trane inspection.

Sme thing with Credit cards. Give me 10% off if I apply. I do this often, and just pay it off before the bill even arrives.

THAT is what will drive you away from a store? Seriously? I'll give you the same advice my best friend gave me over something equally stupid: "Build a bridge and get over it."

I'm not even sure if these guys work for HD.
I once asked one where something was, and he mentioned that he doesn't know, since he's not really a HD employee.
So I suspect they're on commission for sales, as opposed to a salaried HD employee.
Annoying, but the least of my complaints about HD.

I just tell them I rent. They go away.

The most annoying thing besides these pushers are the constant beep beep beep of the forklifts or whatever they are when they are in opperation. It is so loud that I will avoid going into HD at all costs. Here is yet another reason.

Not sales pitches, per se, but I would more at a few local restaurants if they would clear the homeless out from in front of the door.

My husband (who is quite large) just keeps walking. LOL they tend get out of his way!!

I usually just ignore them. If they really start ticking me off, I talk AT them really fast about whatever it is I'm shopping for....that makes them run!

As for the "caniintrestyouinsavingX%onourcreditcardtoday"
speech, a NO will usually do. If they go past that, I give them my best "NUN" voice (yes, I attended Catholic schools till I was 22) and ask what part of no they didn't understand?

@mgy: eat more*

Funny, I've never, ever had this happen to me in a Home Depot. There are four of them that I frequent, plus a Lowes. Granted, there are often tables with some promotion of the month set up, but they invariably wait for me to linger. Heck, I think Sam's Club is worse in this regard, in fact. They, too, often have one of these information tables set up, and it's about 50-50 whether they they wait for me to linger before giving a pitch. Just the other day an ambulatory salesperson tried to give me a pitch, now that I think about it. It didn't cross my mind to boycott Sam's, but I'll wait and see if it gets annoying.

I stopped shopping at the closest grocery store (Shoprite) after they installed flatscreen tv sets in the check out lanes. The shopping experience was mediocre to begin with, but I could not handle the endless product pitches and crazy noise. My complaints got me no where and I let the mgr know that I wouldn't be shopping there again.

I interviewed for the company that does these promotions. These "sales reps" are actually employees of a marketing group. Here in Grand Rapids, they are pushing "Free Water Analysis". The pitch is that they would send out a company to analyze the water and then give you the results. Of course, since the company also sold water treatment services, they could then customize a plan for them on the spot.

When I went for the interview, I was under the impression that I was being interviewed for an outside sales management position. They called me back for a second interview and we proceeded to go to Home Depot and walk around all day asking people if they "had heard about the latest promotion". If you got someone to agree to the free water test, you got $25. That was the only way you got paid.

@Meisterjager: But why do you have to say "No Thank You" 3, 4, or 5 times just because they decided to "blanket" the stores with these people?

I have no problem with putting all their marketing upsell sucker crap at the front of the store, then let me shop in peace. But I agree with the OP, when they come up to you three times in one shopping trip, it's annoying and unneccessary.

The beeping is so no one gets flattened by a fork lift. As the parent of a small child, I appreciate the warning noise.

@Meisterjager: Why should I have to say "No thank you" EVERY SINGLE TIME I walk into a store?

Not only do I find it annoying, but I find it downright rude when somebody in a Home Depot apron tries to talk up free roofing/siding/window estimates as I walk into the store when it simply does NOT apply to me. I live in a condo so I couldn't possibly make use of the services that they're pushing on me. If I ignore them they say "Thank you" in a loud condescending voice, but I'm not about to waste my time telling them every single time "Thanks but no thanks, I live in a condo so I can't use these services." Instead I simply go to their competition, Lowes, where they don't try to foist those services on me. I can guarantee that HD has lost a lot of business from me in part thanks to this practice.

I walk out of stores if i get badgered by employees before I even get a chance to look around. How do i know if i need help if i haven't had a chance to look yet? Bed, bath and beyond does it best. The employees always just smile and say 'how are you?'. it's friendly without being overbearing and gives me a chance to ask you for something if i need it.

@IphtashuFitz: I am actually in need of a new storm door right now but I'm buying it at Lowe's, in part due to HD conduct/horror stories, in part because the Lowe's is cleaner, and in part because my parents had the same door installed on their house (different color) and the installer did a great job and it seems there were no problems.

I tend to stay away from Home Depot due to a disastrous vinyl fence install my parents encountered through one of their 'preferred contractors'. Home Depot did little to resolve the problem at the local level, we had to go regional to get someone to even talk to us about the problem.

Since then, everyone in my family goes to Lowe's or an independent hardware store. I buy most of my things from the independent, but Lowe's is open later so in a pinch, it's off to Lowe's.

Anyone try to buy a friggin bra at Victoria's Secret? Their lip glossed, over-perfumed drones bombard you with panty sales info the minute you walk into that pink disaster of a store. If you linger in said store for more than 2 minutes, they come looking for you...asking you if you want your cans measured with the omnipressent measuring tape boa around their little necks. Between that and the constant shilling of body lotion and credit cards, I wind up leaving the store pissed and bra-less. Very Sexy indeed.

I'd just be happy if the Menard's by my house wouldn't play their "Save Big Money At Menards" commercial on a continuous loop over their loudspeakers 24-7. I can deal with brushing off a salesman, but menards makes me want to put an icepick in my eardrums.

@Meisterjager: I wouldn't call being harassed TWICE in the SAME VISIT unworthy of being posted. It's intrusive, it's annoying, it's not prefixed with any kind of "do you need help?", the first words are "will you give us money?".

No, this is not a slow news day. It's getting tiring when people who think a story is beneath them is somehow unworthy of everyone else, and the tired SND line pops out. Slow news day would be random kittens.

@Meisterjager:

I think it's because we are already in the store, and we don't feel like being subjected to more advertising. I thing most everyone in the US is sick of ads being shoved up their ass 24/7. Hell you can't even watch a Collage Bowl game without it being the DominoPapaJohnsTropicana Bowl at CompuGlobalHypermegaMart field

Last time I was at Costco, they had associates roaming up and down the checkout lines asking customers if they wanted to sign up for AMEX card or something.

I suspect that these in-store sales pitches will be more common in more retail establishments.

This article is a tip in disguise. Now when I can't get anyone to help me at Home Depot, I'll just go to the promotion guy or girl and ask for help.

A friend and I went in Rooms To Go when it opened in our neighborhood just to look around. We were immediately accosted by a salesman (fine, that's their job) who would NOT leave us alone. He followed us around the entire store and when he would see us lingering around an item, would start talking it up. We finally had to tell him firmly that we were just looking and to please go away. We never went back.

@KlausKinsky: Those constant beep are for safety and are pretty much built into any type of forklifts. Whether you are at HD or Lowes, you will hear one if they are being used. You may as well complain about fire engines, ambulances, and police car while you are at it.

Just go into the store with "If you even speak to me outside of saying hello, I'm going to use your head for a mop and your butt as a broom" look. That is if the moron can read body posture or facial expressions.

The worse around here is Barnes and Noble. NO, I don't want to pay $25 for your member card when other book stores offer them for free. I can't buy a book or coffee without being asked this every time, and of course after you say no, they continue to try convincing you. NO!

I feel the same about people taking money for charities, or selling things outside of grocery stores. If I want to donate or purchase something, I'll go to them (and I often do).

This reminds me of the strikes they had in front of grocery stores in Los Angeles a couple of years ago. Sorry, but I wanted to shop at the closest grocer - not one 10+ miles away in heavy traffic. The strikers were amazingly rude, and even chased an elderly woman as she was leaving the store, screaming at her. Come ON. :P

This is one of the reasons I avoid places like Best Buy and Home Depot. If I can get the same item someplace else, I do. I prefer going into an Ace Hardware or similar as they leave me alone and have staff that are actually knowledgeable about what they sell.

@woodenturkey: That can be dealt with by calling your city manager and complaining. Oh, and a noise complaint filed with the police goes a long way too. Failing that, contact the local public advocate at the local newsie.

I got the HD guy with the homeowner pitch a weekend or so back when buying a lawnmower, but it wasn't for A/C, it was for them to come in and take a look at your kitchen and give you a free quote on what some sort of improvements to it would be. Quickly cut him off and let him in that I'm a renter and can't just go remodeling kitchens at will.

I guess the upsale that annoys me the most is Target, since I shop there pretty often. Every single time they ask if I want to sign up for the card and save 10%. No. Every time, no. And sometimes they really keep trying to push it on me. I know it's their bosses putting them up to it, but damnit, tag my debit card or something with the "I already said 'no' 80-billion times" badge. I don't need another credit card, thankyouverymuch.

If we're including checkout pitches, then that would be every national chain I've been to. I don't mind it so much, since I'm on my way out and already being pestered to complete the sale. I still don't appreciate the hard sell, though. "If you do this/buy that you can get...", "Would you like one of our...", and the absolute worst, the "Have you heard about..." pitch. That one actually pisses me off. I know it's something I won't want, but I don't like lying, so I'll be forced into a "No, but no thank you," which can loop a few times before they realize they aren't making a sale.

I despise Barnes & Noble because of it. I'm buying one book for $6. I don't want to be a member of your Please-Mail-Me-Shit Club. No one does. I'll pay you extra not to put my information in your system. Looking at it that way, it's almost de facto extortion. Borders has a softer approach: the "do you have your rewards card" line. It's a much easier "No," and I can stomach that just fine.

Nothing sucks like a Trane... ;)

I was once harassed about vinyl siding while shopping in the mens clothing section of Sears. Vinyl siding. For my 14-foot wide rowhome. That'll look great.

I decided, a long time ago, that it's way more fun to turn these situations around and have some fun with the solicitor. My favorite one (the favorite of my two young sons) was when I was approached in Sam's club by a guy who extended his hand while offering a leaflet and simply said "Sunroom?". I acted like I didn't understand the word and kept him going for 5 mins with responses like "I'm sorry. I just don't understand". My sons were cracking up. Eventually, he walked off in frustration and we laughed all the way out of the store.

I didn't walk into a Canadian Tire for a good two years until I absolutely had to since I couldn't get more than 15 feet past the door without being harassed by the same woman time after time after time to get their stupid Canadian Tire Credit Card.

The last time I did it was when I walked in, she asked if I had the CT Card yet, I said yes to get past her, then she asked if I had the red or the blue one, and started offering to upgrade me from the red to the blue if I just gave her 5 minutes of my time to fill out a form. How 'bout letting me take the 2 minutes I needed to come in here, grab some new windshield wipers, and get the hell out?

Ah, yes. The furniture salesguy who will not let you browse in peace. I know him well. Ask for his card and say that you'll make sure to find him, if you end up interested in actually buying anything. If you are approached by anyone else after that, flash the first guy's card. I so hate anyone following me around while I'm shopping. Grrr!

I love this blog, but sometimes posts like this get me a little peeved. I mean Home Depot is a business, you want quality service and people to cater to your every need, but you don't want them to try and SELL you things?? Please, it's a part of life in a capitalistic society, get over yourselves.

My ultimate peeve is people who equate a sales pitch with "harassment." These are people with obviously little business acumen and probably don't have to sell anything for their careers.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like being bothered while I'm out shopping either, especially when I go furniture shopping, they're on you like flies on sh!t. But, I can appreciate the fact that they're trying to feed their families, and contribute like everyone else is, just in a different way. Most people can't go day to day, selling, always trying to meet quote. It's very stressful as it is.

So the next time you're approached in a store, try and smile and say no thank you. Or even listen to what they have to say, because maybe, just maybe you're helping somebody make a living. It's not always about you.

My father got so tired of Wells Fargo employees trying to talk him out of the teller line to "teach" him how to use the ATM, he switched banks. I wonder how much shorter the lines would have been if that kind gentleman opened a teller window instead of pestering customers?